Self-acting safety appliance for street-cars.



No. 866,595. PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

L. M. MAXHAM. SELF ACTING SAFETY APPLIANGE FOR STREET CARS.

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L. M. MAXHAM.-

SELF ACTING SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR STREET CARS. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 14,1907.

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LOWELL MASON MAXHAM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-ACTING SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR STREET-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed May 14,1907. Serial No. 373,698-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOWELL MASON MAXHAM, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Boston, in the county of Suffolk andCommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Self-Acting Safety Appliances for Street-Oars, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is the construction of improved means forcushioning a street car buffer; for l0- eating a drop fender beneath theoverhanging end-section of the car; for causing such fender to bedropped to the track when such cushion is struck; for causing the fenderto be dropped through the action of a body lying on the trackimmediately in front of the car, and for effecting other improvements indetail of construction hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1is a perspective viewof the front portion of a street car provided witha life saving device embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe front end of a street car platform, showing the buffer cushion inplace. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the street car front-sectionshowing said cushion, the drop-fender, and releasing devices for thefender. Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing the cushion-support, and thehand rail connected therewith. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one ofthe castings by which the cushion is secured in place and thefender-dropping device supported. Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of thebuffer cushion. Fig. 7 is a side view of another form of pivot for thebail, in order to provide adjustment therefor.

The buffer cushion consists of the bar 1 lying upon the buffer of thecar and having its extremities penetrated by the vertical pins 8projecting from the plates or brackets 10; the resilient arms 2, and thetransverse slats 5 riveted to said arms. The upper section of each arm 2is formed as an open loop 3 with its end suitably fixed to the bar 1.These loops are provided for the purpose of giving a resilient supportto the arms even when they happen to be struck upon a point directly infront of the bar 1.

A button 6 or other suitable lock is provided for insuring against theaccidental dislodgment of the cushion from the retaining pins 8. Bysimply turning said button, the cushion can be readily removed from saidpins and placed within the car whenever it is desired to couple carstogether and leave the buffers free to meet each other.

I prefer to provide a hand rail 7 above the cushio for the possiblegrasping by people who may be struck by the cushion, when the ear is notin too rapid motion to render the action impossible.

Projecting from each plate or bracket 10 is a pin 11 formed with asuitable head, and upon these pins are pivoted the looped ends 1.6 ofthe uprights 15 forming a portion of the swinging bail 14. The lower bar17 of this bail is arranged to come sufficiently close to the track tobe struck by any child who might be lying thereon, in order that thedrop fender located behind the same should be caused to drop to thetrack and such child, or any larger object, scooped up by the fender andpreserved from injury.

The fender 20 is pivotally supported at 21 by the bar 22, and heldnormally out of contact with the track by the notched arm 23 at eachside engaging the rear extensions 25. Said arms are pivotally held bythe cross shaft 24 having bearings in the braces 27 which are secured attheir lower ends to the bars 22, while the upper ends of both such braceand bar are riveted or otherwise fastened to the angle iron 28 securedto the under surface of the car sill. A spring 29 keeps said armsengaged with said extensions.

From each arm 23 a rod 30 extends forward through a suitable support 31to the cushion aforesaid, being there formed with a finger 33 bent in adirection to be engaged by some portion of said cushion. As illustrated,said fingers are bent upward and are engaged by the cross slat 5 of thecushion. Consequently, whenever said cushion is struck a substantialblow, as by some person falling against it, or being struck by the car,the yielding action of such cushion will be communicated through saidrod or rods 30 to the arms 23, and thereby release the fender and permitit to drop to the track. When, new, such person falls to the track, thefender will be ready to scoop him into its cradle. At the same time,said cushion acts to soften the blow which such person would otherwisehave received from the car buffer, and saves him from the fracturedskull which he might get from the solid buffer.

Fixed to the uprights 15 is a cross bar 18 located close above the rods30, and adapted to come against the shoulders 32 fixed on said rods, andto thereby move said rods rearward through any blow against the bail 14,or any object lying upon the track as above described. By the backwardswing given to said bail, and such movement of the rods 30, the fenderwill be released as before and permitted to drop to the track and scoopup the object contacting with said bail.

As is evident, the shoulder 32 in its rearward movement descendsslightly, while the cross rod 18 swings upward as well as rearward.Consequently, after a sufficient movement of the rods 30 to release thefender, the cross rods 18 will escape from the shoulders 32 and permitthe bail 14 to swing backward and upward enough to avoid anyinterference with the passage of a large object, such as a fat person,back upon the fender cradle. The instant such object is scooped up,however, the bail falls upon it and in front of the same and effectuallyprevents it from becoming dislodged from the fender. Gross bars 35terminally held by the vertical bars 22 keep any such object frompassing on behind the lender.

I prefer to form the bail 14 with a second horizontal rod 17 a shortdistance above the lower one 17, for the purposes of improving theappearance of the bail, strengthening the same, and also to insureagainst the possibility of any childs falling over the lower rod 17without contacting with it enough to drop the fender.

As shown in Fig. 3, the loop 16 at the end of each upright 15 is made inthe shape of a shepherd s crook in order to permit of the bails beingremoved from the headed pins 11 whenever desired, and especiallywhenever a person has been caught upon the fender. By removing the bail,such person can be easily taken out from his awkward location. It isalso necessary to vertically elongate the loops 16 to permit of thebails being returned with greater ease to its normal position. Theshoulders 32 being formed with oblique or slanting rear faces, the crossrod 18 slides up over the same as the bail is being swung forward to itsnormal position, and such rising of the cross rod is permitted by thesaid vertical elongation of the loops 16. I further pre for to curve thelower corners of the bail outward, as shown in Fig. l, in order to widenthe same to a slight distance beyond the sides of the car, and insurethe tenders action even where the obstruction is but partially in thepath of the car.

Instead of the loop 16, I prefer to cut the upright 15 oil somewhatshorter, and have the same penetrate the casting 16", and provide thelatter with a set screw ior adjustably holding such upright at any pointof vertical position. The eye shown in said casting would be pivoted tothe plate 10 by any suitable pin or bolt.

What I claim as my invention and for which I desire Letters Patent is asfollows, to wit;

1. The combination with a car, of a transverse bar, means normallyholding said bar rigid with the buffer of the car but permitting itsbeing lifted off therefrom, and a resilient builer cushion supported bysaid bar; whereby such cushion can be instantly removed without the useof tools to permit the builer to be made clear for coupling to anothercar.

2. The combination with a car having vertical pins rising above theupper surface of the buffer of said car, of a transverse bar penetratedby said pins and resting upon such surface, a lock retaining said bar inplace, and a resilient cushion held by said bar.

3. The combination with a car having vertical pins ris ing above thesurface of the buffer of such car, of a transverse bar resting upon suchsurface and penetrated by said pins, a button for locking said barinplace, depending arms resilient at their upper ends and attachedthereat to said bar, and cross slats secured to said arms.

4. The combination with a car, of brackets fixed to the front thereof,vertical pins rising from the forward parts of said brackets, atransverse bar penetrated by said pins and having its extremitiessupported by said brackets, and a resilient cushion held by said bar;whereby said bar and cushion can be bodily removed without the use oftools.

The combination with a car, of a drop fender carried beneath its forwardsection, a lock normally holding said fender from the track, an easilyremovable cushion guard lug the car buffer, slidable rods adapted whenmoved rearward to release said lock, and a swinging bail hung closebehind said cushion and adapted when swung backward to engage said rodsand cause them to release the lock; said cushion being also adapted toengage and actuate said rods; whereby the fender is dropped to the trackeither by the blow against said cushion ot'a person on his feet, or bythe blow against the bail of a prostrate body.

6. The combination with a car, of a drop fender carried beneath itsforward section, a locking device normally holding the fender from thetrack, longitudinally movable rods connected with said locking device,means for slidably supporting said rods, and a depending bail pivoted tothe car front and adapted to momentarily engage said rods and move themand then to be disengaged therefrom, when it is swung backward; wherebynot only is unimpeded access given to the fender, but the locking deviceis permitted to again engage and stop the fender from an unlimited upward movement should it rebound from its drop.

7. The combination with a car, of a drop fender carried beneath its endand having rearward extensions, notched swinging arms resilientlypressed into engagement with said extensions, a swinging bail dependingfrom the car front, and means extending between said bail and arms forcausing the rearward movement of said bail to release said arms fromsaid extensions; said means being constructed to be engaged by said bailduring the first part of the latters swin and to be released during theremainder thereof, and so to leave said arms free to again lock thefender during such remainder of the swing.

S. The combination with a car, of a drop fender carried beneath its end,a locking device constructed to engage and lock said fenderautomatically against movement either up or down whenever the fender isin its normal position, a swinging bail depending from the car front,and means extending between said bail and-locking device for causing theinitial rearward movement of said bail to release said locking device;said means being constructed to be disengaged by said bail during theremainder of the latters rearward swing and so to leave the lockingdevice free to eng. ge said fender.

9. The combination with a car, of a drop fender carried beneath its end,a locking device normally holding the fen der from the track.longitudinally movable rods connected with said locking device, adepending bail pivoted to the car front, a shoulder on each of saidrods, and means rigid with said bail adapted to engage said shouldersand move said rods back to release said locking device, and to be disengaged from said shoulders immediately thereafter and so to permit saidbail to freely swing backward.

10. The combination with a car, of a drop fender carried beneath itsend, a locking device normally holding said fender from the track, aswinging bail pivoted at its upper ends to said car, connections betweensaid ball and locking device whereby the rearward swing of said bailreleases the drop fender from the locking device, the upper ends of saidbail being capable of vertical adjustment.

11. The combination with a car, of a drop fender, andsupporting means ateach side comprising a vertical bar fastened to the car-sill, an obliquebrace between said bar and sill, an arm pivoted to said brace andengaging the fender to normally support it from falling to the track,and releasing means connected with said arms.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing invention, I have hereunto setmy hand this 11th day 01' May, 1907.

LOIVELL MASON MAXIIAM.

Witnesses A. B. UPHAM, M. G. KNiou'r.

